Hundreds of county officials will be in Albany from January 30th through February 1st for this year’s NYSAC Legislative Conference. Leadership, change, mandates and the State budget are among the features of the three day training program that will include … Continue reading →

This week the Governor introduced his second budget, which continues to highlight a difficult fiscal environment for the State and its counties. The Budget remains austere, but it provides a much better starting point from which to govern and manage scarce … Continue reading →

The 2012-13 Executive Budget projects a $3.5 billion shortfall that is closed through the following mechanisms: $1.5 billion in new resources enacted as part of the initial phase of tax reform enacted in Extraordinary Session in December 2011. $1.15 billion … Continue reading →

The Governor’s Budget proposes to eliminate the current three percent annual increases in the local share of Medicaid.  The Executive estimates a five year savings of $1.2 billion for counties and New York City. In 2013 the current three percent … Continue reading →

The Governor is building upon his pension reform proposal from last year that did not move through the State Legislature. It estimates $79 billion in savings for local government over the next 30 years. This proposal is being modified, but … Continue reading →

The Executive Budget proposes several changes to both rationalize the existing Preschool Special Education financing system and limit the ability of some providers to reap excessive financial benefits to maximize the amount of funding that goes to direct services. These … Continue reading →

The Executive Budget includes reforms similar to those proposed for special education pre-k in relation to reducing conflicts of interests in the service evaluation process, as well as providing administrative costs cap for providers, and caps on executive compensation for … Continue reading →

The Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant Program received a 2012-13 budget appropriation $75 million for a third round of grants. This is the maximum amount under current law. This program recently awarded $20 million in grants to counties, an allocation appropriated … Continue reading →

The Executive Budget includes provisions to improve the State’s readiness to respond to storms, floods and other critical incidents through the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. The proposal also includes guidelines … Continue reading →

The Executive Budget proposes expanding the number of DNA samples collected and also specifies which officials are responsible for sample collection. Article VII language creates a statewide process that requires courts to order offenders to a sheriffs’ office for the … Continue reading →